Presidential Update - October 2017

Time for another update! We held our General Assembly at Wilfrid Laurier University from October 27th to 29th. Students representing each of our member student associations vetted policy recommendations on university accountability, Indigenous students, open educational resources and on OUSA’s vision for the post-secondary sector in Ontario.

You can look forward to seeing the polished version of papers on our website in the next few weeks. In the winter, we will be visiting Laurentian University in Sudbury as the SGA-AGÉ hosts its first OUSA General Assembly. There, we will discuss policy recommendation on mature students, mobility and credit transfer, and health and wellness.Following our fall General Assembly, we attended a conference hosted by the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health. At the conference, Colin and Nadia presented on OUSA’s research surrounding student mental health, and the importance of consulting students in the development of campus mental health strategies. That same week, we also released a new publication, In It Together: Taking Action on Student Mental Health. Following its release we presented it to MPPs and other stakeholders at Queen’s Park. This report is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between our organization and the College Student Alliance, Council of Ontario Universities and Colleges Ontario. It calls for comprehensive government action and sector partnership on student mental health. The report was received well by all of our partners, so I’m hopeful that our recommendations will begin to be implemented!

Looking ahead, OUSA will continue to advocate for supports for student health and wellness. One of our most important sources of data for that is our biennial Ontario Post-Secondary Student Survey. We launched the 2017 version the OPSSS this weekend. If you are a member of an OUSA student association, please take time to fill it out once you receive the email. If you haven’t received an email, you can find it here. You will be contributing to our advocacy on your behalf, and you’ll also have the chance to win an iPad mini!